• Kanye West is terminating his partnership with Gap Inc., the retailer confirmed in a memo to employees that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Gap said it was “not aligned” with the rap star on how to achieve their shared vision for the Yeezy Gap brand, which was announced in 2020 and almost immediately showed signs of trouble when West threatened to withhold the clothing line unless he was given a board seat. (The Wall Street Journal)
• TikTok announced a new feature called Now, which sends users daily notifications to take a photo or video using their phone’s front and back cameras — a feature similar to how the app BeReal operates. TikTok is just the latest company to try to capitalize on the popularity of BeReal, following Meta Platforms Inc.’s Instagram and others in developing a feature that asks users for a photo at a random time each day. (The Verge)
• Surveys of creators show that Instagram lags behind TikTok and YouTube in creator satisfaction, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri admitted to staff in a memo seen by The Information. Mosseri also said the company established a new team to drive growth among teens as it struggles to attract younger users. (The Information)

A Bright Spot for Retailers: Consumers Prioritize Holiday Gifts Amid Inflationary Pressures

Morning Consult

World debuts ads—luggage brand Rimowa is the first

Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age

Advertising will only appear on the desktop version of the popular game.

YouTube ads appear to be ramping up, with as many as 10 unskippable ads in a single break

Ben Schoon, 9to5Google

Multiple threads on Reddit bring out that ad breaks in longer videos are happening as frequently as every few minutes. Just as rough, if not worse, is the uptick in reports of users who are seeing far more unskippable ads during YouTube ad breaks.

CNN Overhauls Its Morning Show

John Koblin, The New York Times

The morning slot will be hosted by Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. The move leaves open Mr. Lemon’s prime-time slot.

Former CNN+ Programming Chief Rebecca Kutler to Join MSNBC as SVP of Content Strategy

A.J. Katz, Adweek

Kutler was laid off in June as part of the wholesale changes to CNN Digital, in light of Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to scrap the subscriber-based streaming service CNN+.

Roger Federer, Swiss tennis great, announces he’s leaving the sport

Jack Stebbins, CNBC

Federer boasts over $130 million in career earnings. His sponsors include Wilson, Rolex, Mercedes-Benz, Uniqlo, Moet Hennessey, and Credit Suisse.

Apple, Amazon Passed on LIV Golf Media Rights

Andrew Beaton and Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal

LIV has been accused by critics of using golf to repair the reputation of Saudi Arabia after various human-rights abuses. Amazon and Apple join a list of media platforms that have, so far, declined to carry the tour.

Former Netflix Exec Myles Worthington Launches Marketing and Content Company Worthi

Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter

The new agency’s work will be rooted in ethnography, the study of people and cultures.

The Meta Oversight Board says Facebook’s automated image takedowns are broken

Adi Robertson, The Verge

The Oversight Board also addressed one of numerous incidents testing Facebook’s line between supporting extremist groups and reporting on them.

Microsoft’s Activision Deal Draws Further Scrutiny From U.K. Watchdog

Sarah E. Needleman and Kim Mackrael, The Wall Street Journal

A panel of independent reviewers will join the probe as it moves to a second phase.

TikTok remixes and mashups are taking over the app, and it’s transforming how the music industry promotes songs

Dan Whateley, Insider Premium

Over the last few years, TikTok has cemented its role as king-maker in music. Songs that go viral on the app, no matter when they were first released, often end up charting on the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50.

YouTube Taps Machine Learning to Convert Landscape Videos to Square, Vertical Formats

David Cohen, Adweek

Advertisers can more easily incorporate Shorts into their application, Performance Max, video action campaigns.

YouTube Opens More Pathways for Creators to Make Money on the Platform

Nico Grant, The New York Times

The video platform will let more creators earn payments and place ads in Shorts, its TikTok competitor, according to audio from an internal meeting.

Uber Investigating Breach of Its Computer Systems

Kate Conger and Kevin Roose, The New York Times

The hacker, who provided screenshots of internal Uber systems to demonstrate his access, said that he was 18 years old and had been working on his cybersecurity skills for several years. He said he had broken into Uber’s systems because the company had weak security.

Brands target local college athletes as NIL enters second year

Erika Wheless, Ad Age

Chipotle, Degree and others reveal their playbooks for student-athletes.

Bed Bath & Beyond Begins Store Closings as Retailer Plans Layoffs, Cost Cuts

Eliza Ronalds-Hannon and Jeannette Neumann, Bloomberg

The closings, many of which are happening in the upper Midwest, New York and New Jersey where its locations are more densely packed, are the first round of what will ultimately total about 150 stores.

Would You Pay Thousands for the Celebrity-Wedding Treatment?

Chavie Lieber, The Wall Street Journal

Non-famous couples are shelling out for publicists who can land them glossy bridal editorials and sponsored swag: ‘We are pitching the bride as a brand.’

Frontier Airlines recently held talks with SpaceX about adding Starlink Wi-Fi

Leslie Josephs and Michael Sheetz, CNBC

Adding Starlink’s Wi-Fi would be a departure for the budget carrier, which doesn’t currently offer inflight internet service. CEO Barry Biffle says skipping Wi-Fi for now allows the airline to be more “green” because it limits weight on board.

H&M Sales Miss Estimates as Retailer Falls Behind Rival Zara

Anton Wilen, Bloomberg

The company, one of the world’s biggest fashion retailers, had almost recovered from the Covid 19-pandemic when Russia invaded Ukraine, and is now struggling with soaring inflation and a more pessimistic outlook for the broader economy.

The number of people working remotely tripled during COVID

Erin Doherty, Axios

The new figures provide a fresh look into how the pandemic upended how Americans work, play and live.

AT&T CEO slams T-Mobile for its senior discounts marketing campaign

Brian Sozzi, Yahoo Finance

T-Mobile — long seen as a clever marketer of its wireless brand — recently launched a campaign dubbed “Verizon and AT&T Ban Senior Discounts.” The marketing stunt claims that “92% of seniors in the U.S. can’t get a wireless discount from Verizon or AT&T because they don’t live in Florida.”

Fast-Fashion Giant Shein Plans U.S. Expansion as Sales Climb

Jing Yang, The Wall Street Journal

Online retailer wants to cut shipping times for American shoppers.

Budweiser’s Inspiring World Cup 2022 Strategy Is ‘Yours to Take’

Stephen Lepitak, Adweek

The beer brand began its campaign with the 100-day count down in August.